Monday,Jun 13 2005, 01:04:49 PMonce upon a time

there was a family who lived in a country called kuba. this family had four members - a dad, a mom, a teenaged daughter and a young son. life was good, until one day the father was targeted by the police for having done wrong to the ruler of the country - feedahl kastrou. so the family fled, with only the clothes on their back. and they were chased through the streets of kuba.

now, this country-city kuba was an island surrounded by the sea. across this sea was another south ehmeriqan country - highly urbanised and metropolitan. it so happened that the family in this story ran until they reached the edge of the kuba-land. in front of them was the sea that separated kuba from its neighbour. the waters of this sea were a clear azure blue, and its bottom fine golden grains of sand.

the family realised that there was no place to go except to seek refuge in the nieghbouring country. but to do that, they had to cross this sea. they could see sky-scrapers and other gleaming buildings rising high up into the sky across them. gathering up their courage, they waded into the waters, their feet treading lightly upon the sands. their energy was sapped the further out they swam, and the waters of the sea had reached neck-level. being young, both the daughter and the son could still go on, but the father suffered a cramp in his right leg. his wife supported him, but could not undertake his whole weight. however, both parents made their children swim on.

night had fallen...and daughter and mother found that they had finally reached the banks of this new country. however, both the father and the son were nowhere to be seen. with heavy hearts, mother and daughter climbed out of the waters, sopping wet and with their clothes plastered to their skins. they walked down the streets of this new south ehmeriqan country. it was bustling with activity - pumping music filled the night and people were engaging in various activities. mother and daughter took in the lively atmosphere, searching for someplace they could spend the night.

they found their way up to a little 3-room apartment in one of the dingy flats overlooking the busy alleys. this apartment was crowded with people who seemed to be having some sort of party. both the television and the casette player were blasting. feeling somewhat out of place, mother and daughter hid under the alcove leading to one of the bedrooms and peered out to see what the commotion was about.

the daughter noticed that there were a few very pretty girls around her age who were giggling and talking loudly. they seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

suddenly, the pretty girls shrieked and rushed inside the room the daughter and her mother were in. bemused, the daughter stepped slightly out into the open. some one new had arrived in the apartment - with a train of people following after. the daughter knew that this new arrival was a prince, and that he had come to pick his bride from the pretty girls. embarrassed of her own straggly hair and clammy skin, the daughter adjusted the bath towel she had wrapped around her. she wished the girls hadn't run inside her room.

to her shock, the prince walked towards her and asked her if she would like to dance. "but i don't know how to dance!" the daughter gasped. "its alright. i can teach you," he replied, took her hand and led her out into the living room.

there was a catchy tune playing. the prince held on to the daughter's hand as he told her the steps to the dance, wihch involved skips and whirling around in circles with each other's partner. feeling very self-consicous, the daughter allowed herself to be twirled around by the prince. after a few rounds, however, she became more sure of the steps and started to enjoy herself, her face flushing with exertion as well as pleasure of being able to dance with the prince. the prince caught her smiling and smiled back, and they both continued dancing with the rest of the people clapping and laughing along. 

it was bright and sunny the next morning. the daughter went to the windows of the flat and peered out. an expanse of fluffly white clouds lay before her, and she realised that they were actually very high above the ground. the prince came up behind her and the two of them looked out at the horizon together.

suddenly, a loud hammering sounded on the door. the police of kuba had alerted their counterparts in this country and they had traced the escaped family to this apartment. hurridly, the daughter explained her predicament to the prince. he gave her a pale pink balloon and wrestled to open the glass window. "don't let go of the balloon" he cautioned. "i'll join you later, be careful..there's a strong wind outside and it could blow you off course."

"bang!" and the door was forced open. policemen rushed inside the apartment. the prince finally managed to open the lock on the window. he would stay behind and try to stall the police. the daughter squeezed through the window, looking worried. "i'll come for you", the prince reassured her. "be careful of the wind!"

a strong gust of wind swept across as the daughter lept into the air. she felt herself falling down and gasped the prince's name, but the wind carried her away.

the daughter floated on the wind, and it brought her some distance before allowing her to touch down on the clouds. looking around, she realised that she was in some kind of fairground. there were stalls erected on the clouds, each one a different shade of pink. bemused, she deicded to walk around and explore, her left hand firmly grasping the string of the balloon her prince had given her.

it was a wonderful, albeit slightly surreal fairground. the atmosphere was light, and the daughter would have enjoyed herself if not for her constant thinking of her father and the prince. walking on, she came across a bare oak tree with only the trunk left. suddenly, her father's face appeared on the tree. her brother, too, appeared next to her. overjoyed, the daughter rushed to hug the tree. "don't come closer! i'm poisonous!" her father shouted in warning. thoroughly perplexed by all these happenings, the daughter and her brother sat down on some high stools and began talking to their father. the daughter wished her mother were here to see that the father was safe and sound. she wondered how they could rescue their father. at the same time, she wished her prince were by her side.

i hope the daughter gets to be with the prince in the end

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Saturday,Jun 11 2005, 03:11:55 PMO.H. - M.Y. - G.A.W.D

i have been bad today. positively evil. oh dear...in a few hours'  time i will start WALLOWING IN GUILT...for having spent

$200

in ...

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Wednesday,Jun 8 2005, 04:26:42 PM"if everyone saves, the economy won't improve!"

so says david gan, coiffeur to the celebs...

so,

i have decided. i shall make a shopping list. correction..a shopping-ed list. ...

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